How should you write for online reader?

October 03, 2011
Readable vs too-long-too-much-too-many-things-in-one-line :

How should you write something on screen?
This is how I like, this is how I prefer it to be. It's just so hard to read a long paragraphs on screen. So I'm going to share with you some tips on online writing for bloggers and pray to God, article writers. Some of my job in my office are to do research, read and share review/findings daily, so it helps a lot if everyone knows the unspoken rule of writing :


1. Good title.
It should be straight and clear. So readers know what to expect. They don't have to read the whole things yet to know what writers are trying to say in their posts.

Some people judge a blog post by it's title. *true, true

*

2. Nice & short intro.
What I do to differentiate a good reliable post and a-waste-of-time post? :
the title, the introduction and the structure.

I would really love to know some rough ideas on the post before I read something up, so I will usually read the introduction first. I go through 20 to 40 articles, tips & tricks, blog posts daily, *too many interesting stuffs shared by the world, with time limitation, I need to choose what to read.

*

3. The structure
Every paragraph should consists of max: 3-5 lines. Why? It's just hard to read long paragraphs on screen, even for an avid reader like me. I'm not sure if I'm the only one with this weakness, but for me, long continuous lines of words are a total turn-off and my eyes just can't focus for that long.

*

4. Put numbering or bold/underline sub-topic or any important stuffs
It's easy and helps a lot. If readers don't have too much time reading, they can just read the sub-topics. No? Well at least it helps me a lot. Fast readers learn to read fast and only take important things, so by doing this, you will help them identify only important points.

*

5. Use of language
Instead of using texting-language with all those short forms, misspells words, and such, you should use proper language. After all, this is the time you can use all the knowledge you have learned in school. Remember learning Bahasa Malaysia and English? Well, use it well. 'Bahasa pasar' can be used while talking or chatting. Suitable usage :)

*

So who do you write for?

Think about your readers, make their time valuable, avoid writing things that won't benefit anyone at all. I tried hard not to make any post personal and a waste of time. So it keeps on getting harder and harder to post something up. After all, practices makes almost perfect :)

Post Comment
Post a Comment